OPINION: Pot law must be clear on employer liability

Personal opinions on the regulation of marijuana use, particularly for treatment of certain kinds of medical conditions, run the gamut.

For many employers, though, one of the big questions is legal liability. What if an employee, who legally uses marijuana to treat a condition, injures himself or others while operating equipment on the job? On the other hand, what if it is discovered that a highly valued and productive employee uses marijuana — on his or her own time and never before coming to work — and responsibly?

These are big questions that employers need to examine. And the national fervor over pot legalization — plus newly introduced state legislation — means this issue is coming even further into the forefront.

Providing better state laws that spell out an employer's responsibilities and liabilities when it comes to workplace policies on employee use of marijuana is a worthy use of lawmakers' time. (Read more about the recently introduced legislation in reporter Lindsay VanHulle's story on Page 3.)

It is far too early to know if the new House bill is a panacea for employer confusion; that is for the lawyers to decide.

But we urge those in Lansing to take up this issue sooner rather than later. The long list of murky, confusingly worded state laws needs to be tackled — instead of growing longer.